Review: Rock On The Range ’08 – Day Two

Posted: May 20th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick

Day 1 | Day 2

I awoke Sunday morning to perfectly clear skies, a prize sight to see compared to the ominous clouds that stalked us all day Saturday. If Saturday’s weather hazard was the threat of thunderstorms, then Sunday’s was the frigid wind that blew with a vengeance and dropped temperatures overnight. Still, this was a rain or shine event, and who are we to let a little post-winter flair up spoil our fun?

We entered through a side gate this time around, not even needing to present our tickets. We already had extras leftover from MIA concert winners, but add three more to that count and we tallied five tickets that went unused. Shame on all of you.

After setting up quickly I moseyed over to the second stage to watch Day 2′s kickoff act Saving Abel. They were a late addition to the line-up to replace Default, but never fear as the young Mississippi band put on one hell of a performance to get the crowd energized for the bands to come.

Rev Theory burst onto the stage shortly afterwards and came out slugging, playing almost entirely new material off their new CD ‘Light It Up’ which comes out June 10. The addition of ex-Operator guitarist Rikki Lixx adds an entirely new element to their sound and they get better and better with every subsequent performance I catch.

Jay set out to interview Drowning Pool, however he was unable to delve deeper into the tabloid-like comments Ryan McCombs made regarding Papa Roach and Alter Bridge because the issue was “already resolved”; I didn’t buy it. Nevertheless, Jay’s interview was the first of what was to be one hell of a busy day for the TuneLab crew.

I worked my way back to the press tent at the end of Rev Theory’s energetic set and Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge was there. Fortunately for us, he was more than willing to sit down with us and chat. Before meeting him in person, I too have heard naysayers call him a complete asshole, but I can now refute all those claims because Mr. Tremonti was as down to earth and easygoing as anyone I have ever had the chance to talk with. Thanks for blowing your negative rap to smithereens Mark!

No sooner than completing Tremonti’s interview and snapping a few photos, the Seether boys strolled in. Despite not being on their schedule, bassist Dale Stewart made time to sit and talk with us and pose for a pic. It was cool to hear him say his favorite track from ‘Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces’ is “Walk Away From the Sun”, as that ranks as my personal favorite as well.

Thinking Alter Bridge was about to take the main stage, Chris and I headed onto the field, only to realize Five Finger Death Punch was up there instead. As it turns out, Flyleaf had to cancel due to Lacey Moseley’s swollen vocal chords, so set times were altered with no formal notice. Sneaky, sneaky. Three minutes of blunt force trauma gave me my 5FDP fix and we wandered back to the tent.

Sadly, Chris had to be like a red carpet and roll out, but he was sweet enough to buy me a Rev Theory shirt. Thanks again dude! We begged him to stay, but all the salt from his bacon biscuits must have driven him away.

In the tent this time around were the boys from Rev Theory, the only band I noticed to stop at every single station in the press tent and speak with press, pose for photographs, or sign merchandise. Rich and Dave made their way over to us and those guys are always a blast to talk to. Rich proudly declared his patronage to TuneLabMusic.com, and we are most appreciative to Rich and everyone in Rev Theory for not forgetting what it’s like to be a music fan.

I had to make sure I was front and center at the second stage for the revolutionary band Bobaflex. Yeah, right.

Jay and I dicked around for a little while, waiting patiently on a yay or nay on interviews with Papa Roach and 3 Doors Down. We got the green light for Papa Roach, but we had to do it in super duper rapid fire fashion. With Jay cradling the laptop and I holding the alien-ish Blue Snowball microphone, we squeezed in three questions with P-Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix before they bolted to prepare for their set. It was still extremely cool meeting Jacoby, as I have been an advocate of Papa Roach since the days of ‘Infest’.

Headlining the second stage was what one person called the “TuneLab cult favorite band”-Sevendust. I caught their show in Myrtle Beach a month prior, and once again they failed to disappoint. Bringing Clint Lowery back into the fold gives them an incredible spark that I just didn’t notice with Sonny. Sadly, I had to bow out of the crowd only three songs into their set, as I was tentatively scheduled to speak with 3 Doors Down at 6:30; walking away from a Sevendust set before it finishes was the absolute worst part of Rock on the Range, and one of the most difficult things I have had to do in a long time.

And wouldn’t you know it, 3 Doors Down never showed.

However, there is a silver lining to this cloud. Kyle Gass of Tenacious D fame found his way into the press tent, where Jay, dressed in a Tenacious D shirt, casually bowed down to the big guy. Gass wasted no time in stopping by our station, as Jay tried earnestly to mask being a little starstruck. The interview was incredible, and while I’ve never even so much as heard more than a pair of songs from the Tenacious D catalogue, Kyle Gass won a new fan that day. Humorously, Gass signed my buddy’s ‘Pick of Destiny’ DVD sleeve overtop of Jack Black, which made me laugh quite a bit.

Sucking back a shitty, but complimentary menthol outside the press tent, I was shocked to see Tony Bigley, guitarist of South Carolina band Souls Harbor walking through. Tony was awesome enough to utilize his All Access pass and escorted me to the risers on the side of stage right, where I was fortunate enough to watch nearly all of Papa Roach’s set. They never disappoint-high energy, high passion, high octane. The band’s new drummer was on point, as he certainly handled the transition from the punk rock patterns of Unwritten Law to the simpler, open, 4/4 timed with grace. P-Roach performed a new song that sounded pretty good, very ‘Getting Away With Murder’-ish.

I had been trying to meet 3 Doors Down’s drummer Greg Upchurch for a long time, and the opportunity presented itself before they took the stage. I saw him sucking back a smoke, watching drum techs tweak his kit, and had to approach him. I told him how much I enjoy his drumwork, and he was grateful and polite.

Standing up on the risers before 3 Doors Down took the stage, I felt the wind pick up speed and whip my back with force. I jettisoned my jacket before heading out to the stage, a decision I would love to have back. I was joined on the risers by relatives of 3 Doors Down, including who I believed to be Greg’s grandmother. She inquired, “You must be freezing,” to which all I could reply was “Yes ma’am, I’m quite frigid.” Still, there was no uprooting me from there until I heard them play their opener “Train”, the first song off their new record. Upchurch climbed the stairs and got comfy and the rest of the band followed, and Greg burst into the opening drum line of “Train” with brute strength. I didn’t blink for three minutes, meticulously watching his wrists coast up, down and all over the kit with ease. Once “Train” wrapped up, I retreated back to the press tent, seeking the nourishing heat of my jacket.

Jay and I decided to pack it in and head back to the hotel, but we spent the remainder of 3 Doors Down’s set rapping with the Cage Rattle guys (and girl!) about everything and anything, before splitting up and beginning our chilly trek back.

We could hear the final handful of songs from 3 Doors Down’s set as we walked through the parking lot, refusing to stay and poison our minds with that cacophony Kid Rock calls his “music”; maybe if he were rehashing ‘Joe Dirt’ on that stage, then I might have stuck around.

The remainder of the night was spent in the Cage Rattle posse’s room(s), where a random Canadian woman desperately pleaded for the chance to use their “washroom”; different, man.

Jay and I awoke Monday morning, started gathering our belongings, hit that fucking McDonald’s one last time and hit the road. Of course, this was not before realizing some group of winners thought it a genius idea to swipe Jay’s econo-size cooler full of beer, but what can you do. At that point, getting the hell out of Ohio was priority numero uno.

As we pulled out of the hotel parking lot I took one last look at Columbus Crew Stadium and reminded myself of the wonderful weekend I had just experienced.

The fun.

The opportunity.

The interviews.

The pictures.

The bands.

The motley assortment of freaks, geeks, FUPA’s, and muffin tops.

The eight dollar beers.

The love for one another in attendance.

And most of all, the love of rock music.

I was truly blessed to be a part of perhaps a once in a lifetime event.

Special Thanks: EVERYONE from CageRattle! (Dave, Becky, Mike (Donkey Punch), Freddie, Wade, Aaron…thanks so much for everything!!!), Kyle Gass, Kevin Chiaramonte, Tony Bigley, Eric Bass, Brent Smith, all the guys in 10 Years, Rich Luzzi, Dave Agoglia, Dale Stewart, Mark Tremonti, everyone in Drowning Pool, Aaron Lewis, Mike Mushok, John Humphrey, Greg Upchurch, Jacoby Shaddix, Ivan Moody, Adam (the weird ass dude with the WHOA-hawk that wanted to faceplant Kid Rock fans haha), Miss Monica, Carlos, Melissa, Tiffany, Amanda, Kristine Ashton, and everyone one else that helped with setting up interviews, Aquafina, MSO PR, AEG Live, GMnext, and everyone else that directly or indirectly made TuneLab’s time at Rock on the Range 2008 one that will not soon be forgotten.

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